After playing 2K’s Evolve last year at E3, we got to go hands on with their latest First Person Shooter, BattleBorn this year and amazingly, 2K have pulled it off again.
Expanding on their passion for First Person Shooters, as well as their passion for MOBA style-leveling and RPG’s, 2K and GearBox bring BattleBorn to the masses.
BattleBorn is a first person shooter set near the end of the universe where the last remaining species have fled to the last star known to exist. “Science tells us that one day the stars will fade into non-existence...What they didn’t tell us is that there would be some evil-doers accelerating the process...Thanks Science!” said Kleese, the narrator of the video introduction to BattleBorn being shown at the 2K booth.
With a visual style that can only be described as Borderlands on steroids, BattleBorn expands on Borderlands offering of 4 playable characters with the introduction of 25 playable and customizable characters at launch. These characters range from traditional shooter fare with gun-touting characters like Oscar Mike and Montana to non traditional characters like the sword wielding Phoebe and the Gentlemanly sniper Marquis. The incredible range of character types was astonishing. There truly is something for everyone to play and enjoy no matter your play style or skill level.
During our playthrough, I played as Phoebe, the sword wielding woman who is a “force NOT to be trifled with.” She uses swords she crafted herself along with a “magic, ancient relics” to take down her enemies in melee combat. She can fling a volley of swords toward her opponent, or take them head on by rushing in and dealing with them directly. She is incredibly deadly when played correctly and while it took me awhile to get used to melee sword combat in a world of guns and arrows, I eventually got the hang of it and did quite well all things considered.
BattleBorn is incredibly fast paced and fun, with you and up to four other players combining to take on the threats facing you. The game is funnier than Borderlands ever was, and is probably more funny than it has any right to be. The humor and fast paced combat combined for a game experience I won’t soon forget. The sheer amount of playable characters available upon the launch of the game ensures massive replay value, as you could play through the multiplayer or story based missions through the eyes of a new character 25 times and have a new experience every time.
We sadly didn’t get the opportunity to interview anyone from 2K about BattleBorn, but from the detail put into the demo we played, it is obviously a labor of love and passion from GearBox and 2K. We will have more on BattleBorn as it gets closer to its expected late 2015 launch. You can find more information on BattleBorn by going to their website. Battleborn will be available in late 2015 on PC, Xbox One, and PS4.